DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ALL JOB

INTERVIEWS
A final note about the importance of researching the employer and their
markets and issues before interviews.

First, research can enable the least qualified, least favoured, least likely
applicant to succeed and beat off the most likely interview opposition
candidates. Doing good relevant research is the singlemost powerful thing
you can do to improve your chances of getting the job. It's that important. No
research, no views. No views, no value. No value, no job. It's simple: Do your
research and apply your experience, capabilities and thoughts in preparation
for the interview and you will have good views that will be valued. If you
offer good value you'll probably have the job.

Second, the above applies to any organisation or employer with whom you
have an interview; any size, any sector, commercial, not-for-profit, even the
corner shop. If you want the job - do the bloody research. This is not to
say that people who don't do their research don't get jobs, but the fact is
that any person who's done good research and thinking will virtually always
get the job over someone who has not bothered to.

If you are an external applicant bear in mind that you are likely to be up
against at least one good, favoured, known internal applicant, who already
knows and understands lot about the organisation. Your aim is to present
yourself as a more attractive option than the internal applicant. You will do
this by researching the employer organisation so well that you know it better
and more incisively and more strategically than the best of the internal
applicants. Your objectivity and neutrality, and your external experience, will
enable you to see many things that even the best prepared internal job
applicants cannot see. Use this opportunity to make a great impression on
the interviewer or panel.

If you are being interviewed for an internal job promotion, bear in mind that
the best external applicants will be doing all they can to demonstrate that
they have a keen knowledge and appreciation of the employer organisation
and its markets, etc. If you are complacent and think that you know it all
already then you will be bitten on the bum. Someone from the outside will
impress the interviewer more than you because they will seem keener, and
will be seen by the interviewer to have a fresh pair of eyes too, which can be
very appealing to recruiting organisations. When preparing for an internal job
promotion interview or groups selection you have a great opportunity to
ward off any threats from external well-researched applicants by doing lots of
your own research and thinking. This will put you ahead of external
applicants because you will also have the internal political and systemic
insights that are so difficult for external applicants to discover.

Internal or external job interviews - whatever - do your research.

Doing plenty of good quality creative research on the employer organisation,

their history, market sector, products and services, people issues,
organisational priorities, strategic challenges, competitors, threats
opportunities, challenges, etc., helps enormously to convince an interviewer
that your are the applicant who wants and deserves the job more than
anyone else.

Imagine you are a strategic advisor - remove yourself from the detail and
grind of the job role basics. Go deeper - think about what's going on in the
department or organisation at a higher strategic level, or whatever aspect of
performance that your capabilities can best understand and influence - think
about and be prepared to talk about how you can bring best possible
benefit and value to the situation.

Interviewees who possess good knowledge and understanding are able to

ask really good questions about the role and the organisation. They can
discuss how to develop and improve performance, how to exploit
opportunities, diffuse threats, and to help the department and the
organisation meet their aims.

You will be asked questions, obviously, many of which will invite you to
demonstrate all the fantastic research and thinking that you've done, and
the ideas that you have for helping the organisation and its people to
perform well and improve.

If the interview is for a customer service or management role particularly,

then having some first-hand experience as a customer or prospective
customer yourself (if only from the point of view of having made a tentative
'customer enquiry' or requested a brochure) will often provide you with lots
of ideas for commenting helpfully on how the organisation performs, and
potentially for improving services and quality, or morale or competitive edge
- whatever your research and thinking and expertise lead you to conclude.
This applies just as much to internal applicants as external interviewees -
don't assume you know it all. See things from the outside. See things from
the perspective of the customers or clients of the organisation.

All this is part of very necessarily researching the organisation before

attending the interview. Interviewers love to meet people who are
passionately interested in their business and have taken trouble to do some
homework and thinking. If you an external applicant, doing good research
before the interview gives you your best opportunity to demonstrate what
 you can bring to the role, and that this is more than the internal applicants
can bring. If you an internal applicant, doing good quality research and
meaningful thinking, especially from an outside perspective (no-one else on
the inside will be doing much of this I assure you) is your greatest
opportunity to surprise and delight the interviewer about your terrific
capabilities and potential, and leave them wondering why you weren't
promoted a long time ago.

sample job interviews questions and answers

- for interviewers and interviewees
These are samples of questions that interviewers ask interviewees, with
suggested ideal answers and reasons and purposes of the questions, to help
interviewers and interviewees alike. See also the questions to ask at your job
interview for ideas and suggested questions that interviewees should ask the
interviewer, which are also extremely important.

There are very many different questions that can be used in job interviews.
This page does not attempt to list them all. Instead it seeks to give you an
understanding through the examples below and other tips as to what is
effective and why, from the standpoint of the interviewer and the
interviewee. Therefore, whether you are an interviewer preparing questions
to ask, or an interviewee preparing how to give great answers, it is better to
read all of this section to help you understand what works best and why,
rather than simply select a few 'stock' examples. Having a few 'stock'
questions and answers examples will limit your appreciation to just those
examples. Instead seek to understand the reasoning that determines
successful interviews, and then you will be able to formulate your own
questions and answers for any interview situations that you face - whether
as an interviewer or an interviewee.

question answers examples and guidance question notes

How do you measure The first thing is to acknowledge the See general guidelines
talent? significance and importance of a question above if you've not seen
like these examples. them already.
or
By showing that you recognise the These (apparently) tough
How do you measure potency of the question (for organisations questions about 'talent'
talent in an organisation as well as interviewees), you are half way and how to measure and
(or company or team)? to providing an impressive and effective develop 'talent' are
 answer. presently confounding
and in similar vein: many of the world's
(This principle of acknowledging very biggest organisations,
How do you good questions in this way can be applied many leaders, and
grow/develop talent in to any other question that addresses a organisational
an organisation (or serious and deeply significant issue, as development specialists.
company or team)? this is.)
These questions about
You can show your recognition with an 'talent' reflect widespread
initial response such as: modern organisational
challenges, and so are
"That's a very significant question. Its useful in interviews,
implications affect the future health of all especially for training,
organisations - probably now more than HR, management and
ever.." executive positions.

Beyond this, the question might initially Interviewees who can

seem impossible to answer, especially if answer these questions
you've had no real experience of sensibly and thoughtfully
measuring or growing such an intangible demonstrate considerable
and fundamentally important aspect of perceptiveness and ability.
performance in people and organisations,
but there is actually quite a simple way to Answers to these
answer a question like this, for example: questions are relevant
modern indicators as to an
"The reason why this is such a difficult interviewee's value and
question for modern organisations to potential in the field of
address and resolve, is that while some management, leadership
organisations and leaders know how and HR.
crucial 'talent' is for their survival and
competitive effectiveness, you can't
actually measure and grow anything
until you can define exactly what it is,
which is the real challenge. I believe that
you can only begin to measure and
develop anything when you can define
exactly what it is. Talent is prime
example. The concept of 'talent' alone is
completely intangible. It means all sorts
of different things to different people and
organisations. Therefore the key to
measuring and growing 'talent' is first to
define exactly what 'talent' is - to
understand and describe what it means,
what it looks like, how it behaves and
what it can achieve. And these definitions
will be different depending on the
organisation. Talent in a bank will have a
quite different meaning to talent in an
advertising agency, or in a hospital. So
that's the first answer to the question:
First you need to define it and agree the
definition, which is likely to be quite and
involved and detailed task, because it's
such a deep and serious concept..."

Here's how you can develop this answer:

"Aside from defining what talent is, the

organisation needs to acknowledge the
importance of talent, (according to the
agreed organisational definitions). This
requires a commitment from the very top,
which must be transparent and visible to
all. Then people will begin to value talent
more fittingly and preciously. A similar
thing happened with the 'total quality'
concept, when leaders woke up and
realised its significance. But they first had
to define it and break it down into
measurable manageable elements before
they could begin to improve it. Talent is
the same."

If you really want to go for broke you

could add:

"The same thing will happen with love

and spirituality in organisations, as is
happening already with ethics and
responsibility. These fundamentally
crucial concepts can only be assessed,
managed and developed when they are
given emphatic priority from the top, and
defined in a meaningful and manageable
way. Then they can be grown just like any
other organisational attribute."

A supplementary point is that some

leaders simply do not appreciate the
 really true concept of talent, which
unfortunately is a serious obstacle to
doing anything useful about talent at all.
Where this is the case, the leader must be
educated or replaced, because as ever
organisations can only do what they
leader genuinely understands and
commits to achieving.
(Prior to a sales or The level of detail and precision that you
commercial can include in your plan and presentation
management interview) depends on how well you know the
Prepare a plan for your market and the organisation. Beware of
first 1/2/3 months in the assuming too much however - it's
role and present it at the important to strike the right balance
interview. between the need for assessment and
action.
This example and
guidelines for answers Interviewers want people who will make
are orientated to a sales things happen and introduce positive
or commercial change, but at the same time who can
management role, but preserve the good things and avoid
the same principles problematical fall-out.
apply for many other
management positions, A Gantt Chart is a good way to present
and increasingly front- this sort of plan. See the project
line positions too. management section, but avoid going into
the level of detail suggested for major
Market forces inevitably projects.
tend to require all roles
to be increasingly A clear series of bullet points will also be
strategic, therefore this acceptable for most situations. Be guided
interview question could by the recruiting organisation as to the
be used for lots of technology and media to use, but in any
customer-facing roles as event concentrate on the content rather
well as management job than the bells and whistles. A good
interviews. candidate would be able to handle this
using just a flip chart.
See also the presentations page for ideas
about how to structure the presentation,
but again be mindful of the pressure of
time: be very compact, impactful, concise
and efficient in the way you put your
ideas across.
Asking interviewees to
prepare a plan for their
first one or two or three
months in the role is an
increasingly popular way
for interviewing
organisations to get a real
taste and sample of how
the job candidate would
approach the job.
Seeing lots of fresh ideas
is also very helpful in its
own right for the
recruiting organisation.
A question like this -
usually for a management
position, but not always
so - is a great opportunity
for the interviewee to use
preparation and research
in producing a compelling
presentation of your value
to the employer.
It's a real chance to show
what you can do, in terms
of ideas, experience,
technical grasp of your
subject, and ability to
present and enthuse with
clarity, logic and passion.
The guidelines and
examples here are for a
 sales or commercial
What's required here is essentially a position, but the same
cohesive list of strategic action points, principles apply for any
each aimed at producing specific results. role when asked to
Innovation helps provided it's not too off- prepare a plan and present
the-wall. it at an interview.

Typically it's very difficult (and generally
unwise) to enter a new organisation and
immediately begin making lots of big
changes, unless of course the situation is
in crisis; a period of assessment and
research is normally sensible.
Another crucial aspect is the maturity and
performance of the team. Look at the
Tannenbaum and Schmidt, and Tuckman
theories to understand the significance of
the team's capability.
The interviewer will want
to see that the interviewee
has a good understanding
of the key performance
criteria for the function or
team or department
concerned, and can use
experience, research and
original thinking in
creating and delivering a
clear, logical cohesive
action-plan presentation.

Aim for 5-7 bullet points per section of Thus the interviewer is
the plan (for example a 3 month plan effectively having to
could be presented as three 5-7 point 'pitch' for the job, in the
sections). Each action point with same way that an agency
outcomes and reasoning explained. has to pitch for a new
Financials and example statistics/ratios account.
too if you know them.
Being asked to present a
Points and areas that could feature in a plan at an interview is a
sales management plan are as follows - wonderful opportunity to
either as areas to address, or areas to shine, especially for
develop into specific action points, people who do not
depending on the level of knowledge and necessarily perform well
experience. These are in no particular under pressure when
order. Priority and mix depends on the handling some of the
situation: more unpredictable
questions that can arise in
• Immediate review of current and interviews. Instead, being
projected performance and factors able to prepare a plan and
- identify glaring gaps, presentation in advance
weaknesses and opportunities - allows interviewer and
identify and optimise quick gains interviewee's to assess
where possible and respond to each
• Pareto (80:20) analysis - products, others needs in a far more
markets, customers professional and well-
• People/team assessment - styles, organised way.
strengths, performance,
responsibilities, etc -
psychometrics if
possible/appropriate
• Costs and spending review -
optimise and tighten - improve
accountability and freedoms
within agreed guidelines
• Customer analysis/visits - protect
and consolidate
• Competitor assessment - identify
losses and threats, especially from
a major accounts/sectors view
• SWOT, PEST analyses
• Sales cycle and selling process
review - key ratios and statistics
• Sales proposition, USP's, USB's
(see sales section)
• Performance management,
measurement and reporting
• ICT and internet - internal
communications and systems, and
customer interfaces
• Pricing and margins analysis
• Advertising and promotion and
enquiry generation - conversion
ratios through the sales funnel
• Strategy review -
distribution/route(s) to market(s),
partnerships - suppliers and sales
distribution
• Marketing and sales materials and
documentation review, including
electronic and online data and
systems
• Sales model - alignment of sales
people with markets, sectors,
verticals and horizontals
• Sales skills and training
assessment
• Sales processing and relationships
with other departments, CRM
(customer relationship
management)
 • Sales services agencies/suppliers -
telemarketing, A&P, etc
• Quality/service assessment -
especially identify key
performance factors
• Look at/develop inter-
functional/departmental
communications/cooperation/relat
ionships
• Motivation, morale
• Sales planning, aims, objectives,
targets - cascading to individual
quotas and responsibilities
• Standards and controls
• Legal and licensing areas if
appropriate, contracts and SLA's
(service level agreements)
• Philosophy and belief, ethics and
integrity

The presentation needs to combine

relevant hot-spots from the above list, and
to suggest a process of assessment and
involvement of people, blended with
change, so as to identify and optimise key
performance factors within strategy,
people/teams, skills and processes.

How do/would you Aside from the sort of poor performance These questions invite
optimise performance which requires a firm disciplinary candidates at management
and lift standards in a response (see the section on performance interviews to demonstrate
team? management), this question is best their management and
answered from the viewpoint of leadership abilities.
or improvement and development, rather
than discipline and control. The question All management
Explain your approach provides a great opportunity to refer to interviewees should
to maintaining high lots of relevant theory, and to show you prepare to answer this sort
standards and improving know how to apply it. of question. Even if the
poor performance in a interviewer doesn't ask
team. 'Poor performance' is actually not a the question, there will be
helpful perspective - it's negative. It's best plenty of opportunities to
or to interpret this as helping people to use the answers in dealing
become the best that they can be, in with other questions.
(prior to the interview) ways that enable them to align their
natural strengths and preferences with the Good modern employers
Prepare and give a needs of the organisation and team. will look for positive Y-
presentation on how to Theory ideas about
maintain standards and Maslow is certainly relevant - we need to managing people.
address poor help people self-actualise, which a better
performance in angle of approach than 'poor More traditional and
managing a team. performance'. autocratic interviewers
will seek a tougher
Belbin's model of team roles is a useful approach, in which case
reference framework (everyone's good at you can incorporate a few
something - so find out what it is and get examples of firmness and
them playing to their strengths). control within your
answers, where situations
Also useful in this respect is Gardner's and scenarios warrant
multiple intelligences, and learning styles, such a style.
along with the other personality styles
theory, although don't go into that depth If you are the interviewee
at the interview - just refer to the main don't just use my words -
principles. take what's meaningful
and workable for you and
Aspects of delegation are relevant, within make it your own.
which Tannenbaum and Schmidt, and Understand your own
Tuckman's 'storming, forming..etc' model strengths and style and
are also useful reference frameworks. show you know when to
adapt and use a different
Adair's Action-Centred Leadership model approach.
is a great reference for illustrating the
different aspects of teams that need If you are the interviewer
managing and leading. ask this sort of question
and look for the
The role of every good leader is to candidates to demonstrate
develop a successor, alongside which is that they understand about
the aim to develop team maturity so that modern methods of
it can self-manage. This approach fosters managing, leading and
high standards and great performance developing teams. You
because the team is being empowered. need to recruit managers
Open clear positive two-way and leaders who can
communications help to establish team empower and inspire
understanding and agreement of aims and others, so seek these
direction (and standards). Involve and qualities in people, which
consult and enable and coach, rather than will be demonstrated in
decide and direct and control. People the answers to this sort of
perform and achieve best when pursuing question.
their own goals and aims, not the ones
imposed from outside. The trick therefore
is aligning people with work, so it's
 meaningful and important.

An interview presentation (ensure you

know how long the presentation should
last) is best structured in three parts, plus
the intro and the close. Look at the notes
on presentations. Use different ways of
communicating your ideas. Physical
props demonstrate points powerfully and
involve the audience/interviewers if
passed around. Referring to case studies
and extracts from biographies of high-
achievers will help illustrate that high
performance is borne of inner drive, not
external control. A good manager is an
enabler not a controller.

Have you ever dealt Obviously if you have a real example The interviewer asks
with a customer making with a good positive successful outcome these interview questions
an unrealistic demand? for the customer and supplier then use it give the interviewee an
(it's a good idea to think about and opportunity to
or prepare an example for this type of demonstrate firstly how
question in advance). Ideally examples they decide that what is
Can you give me an should include the following elements: realistic and what is
example where you've Central to this process is being able to unrealistic, and secondly
had to deal with a fully understand the customer's position how to explain to the
customer who has made and feelings, without necessarily agreeing customer why the demand
an unrealistic or with them. Explaining this difference cannot be met, and
unreasonable demand? between understanding and agreeing at hopefully better still
the interview helps the interviewee to suggest an acceptable
or demonstrate capability to deal with these alternative course of
types of difficult situations. Good action, preferably which
How do you deal with sympathetic questioning skills, and a results in the customer
difficult customers? good understanding of the options being more satisfied than
available to the supplier organisation in if the issue had not arisen
solving problems, are also vital for being in the first place.
able to adapt and develop mutually
agreeable solutions. An excellent answer It is a fact that the greatest
or demonstration of excellent capability customer service
would include a very positive result in challenges also offer the
which the customer's satisfaction and greatest opportunities to
loyalty was increased to a higher level delight the customer, and
than before the complaint or request interviewees who
(which is actually more easy to achieve demonstrate such a
than most people imagine). To show philosophy are generally
 excellent technical skills in dealing with indicating great potential
very difficult and emotional customers and value to a prospective
interviewees could refer to techniques employer.
within Transactional Analysis, Empathy
theory, and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic
Programming).

(Any question that When asked a question which The purpose of these
invites you to intentionally or unintentionally exposes a questions may be
describe/explain/comme 'negative' situation or experience or unwitting, that is to say
nt on a 'negative' reason (for example for having left your the interviewer has no
situation, for example, last job), you should provide a positive idea what they might be
"Why did you leave interpretation and reflection of the uncovering. Or the
your last job?, if the experience. This means objectively question might be to
reason was that you (without emotion or bias) demonstrating intentionally put pressure
were being bullied, or understanding of the behaviour (which on the interviewee in an
that you lost your was directed at you that caused you to area of weakness, or
temper at your boss and leave, or your negative behaviour that vulnerability, or past
were fired) caused you to leave). For instance if you failure or mistake.
were bullied say so, but do not be critical
or bitter, and emphasise the positives In any case, interviewers
from the experience (which not least learn a lot about an
would be that you thought it best to leave interviewee's emotional
rather than continue in a situation that maturity (increasingly a
was not doing anyone any good). If you much sought-after
behaved badly then you should ideally attribute) when the
explain what you did and why, and how interviewee is invited to
you have learned from it and that you will explain, comment, and
not make the same mistake again. show their feelings about
a past 'negative
In general the approach is the same for experience.
most situations when dealing with
questions that expose weaknesses or Emotionally mature
failures or opportunities for bitterness: people are able to talk
you can (and should) explain what objectively and honestly
happened (to lie or distort would be about 'negative'
wrong) but do so without bitterness or experiences, and interpret
recrimination, and demonstrate them into positive
forgiveness, tolerance and self- experiences.
development achieved from the
experience. A good interviewer can
confidently form a good
If you were the guilty party it helps to impression of any
show that you had the courage to take interviewee who displays
some action to make amends, even for good emotional maturity.
 'lost cause'.
How would you respond Think before the interview and during the
if you were offered the interview: How would you actually
job? respond to this question? If you'd accept
the job and you are really happy and free
to do so, then say so. You have little to
gain from being evasive. If you have
other options or commitments that need
proper and fair consideration before
accepting the job offer then say so (it
does not put you in a very good light if
you demonstrate that you are prepared to
treat an existing employer or another
potential employer badly). If you need
more information (about package,
expectations, responsibilities, etc) then
say so. If the interviewer is being
aggressive or provocative (as can happen
in certain sales interviews particularly)
you could say that actually the only way
to find out for sure is to make the offer,
ie., "...make me the offer and I'll tell
you..." (the interviewer will not normally
fall for that one of course but at least
he/she will see that you can stand up for
yourself, which most tough-nuts will
respect).
What would you do if Look at the Transactional Analysis, NLP,
you had to deal with an and Empathy pages - a lot of what you
angry customer? need to know (and will differentiate you
from other interviewees) is there,
depending on your interview situation.
Basically the answer is to empathise,
understand, and as quickly as possible
obtain the customer's trust in your
promise to try to resolve the matter. And
then set about finding the facts and
resolving it, working within whatever
policies and processes are in place for the
particular problem. The important thing is
to remember the difference between
understanding and agreeing - you need to
This is not a actually great
question to ask (if you are
the interviewer) or to be
asked (if you are the
interviewee) because it
suggests that the
interviewer might not
offer the job to someone
who is not certain to
accept it.
This is not great
indication of a good,
confident grown-up high-
quality employer (or
interviewer).
If you are strong and
mature you'll be able to
deal with an employer
who feels the need to ask
this question, otherwise
you might not find this
type of employer mature
enough for you.
This type of 'scenario'
question is good because
it enables an interviewee
to demonstrate
experience, technique,
and awareness of why a
certain behaviour is
appropriate for a given
real situation that can
arise in the job.
Demonstration of exactly
the same experience is not
necessary, what matters is
the ability to adapt and
 understand without necessarily agreeing apply technique and
or pre-judging the outcome (unless of behaviour, which could
course you can actually resolve it an come from different
agree it there and then). And you need to related experiences, for
apologise without pre-judging whatever example dealing with
investigation you need to do or arrange. difficult or upset people in
Finally, take responsibility for seeing the any other situations.
issue through to the finish, when at the
end of it hopefully the customer is more The interviewee must
delighted than they have ever been, demonstrate knowledge
(which is often what happens when you and/or experience of
do things properly). appropriate technique,
behavioural and
emotional awareness and
capability, and the ability
to match a good technical
emotional and
constructive response to a
particular emotional (and
probably process-based)
challenge.

What will you bring to This tough interview

the job/company if we question is an opportunity
employ you? Imagine what your objectives will be if for the interviewee to
you were in the role, and orientate your relate their strengths
answer towards meeting them, on time, and capabilities to the
on budget, and with style (especially to priorities of the job
improve motivation and morale and to function, and to the aims
avoid unnecessary disruption and and priorities of the
unhelpful side-effects). organization.

Try to focus on the particular priorities The interviewee must

and requirements of the role, the
targets and aims, (which means you need
to ask what they are if your are not told)
and also if possible, focus on working
style and behaviour attributes that fit
the preferences of the interviewer, since
most interviewers prefer people like
themselves.
therefore demonstrate an
understanding of both
sides of the question - the
needs of the employer,
and how to apply their
own skills, capabilities,
experience, style and
strengths to the situation.

For example (assuming that the points It's a good question, and
illustrated are relevant): also a great opportunity to
show how good you are,
 "I can see clearly that quick results are a and how you will add
priority - and that's something I'm good at positively to the mood
generating, because I have good abilities and attitude of people
and experience to interpret situations, and you'll work with.
then a strong focus on activities which
will achieve change and results in the This question invites good
necessary areas." specific solutions and
suggestions in response to
"I'm diplomatic with people too, which stated organizational
means I can generally bring people along requirements.
with me; if needs be though I can be firm
and determined enough to convince As such it will quickly
people who need a bit of extra show up the candidates
encouragement." who understand what's
needed in the role and
how to make it happen.

Certain interviewers and

situations will also be
seeking indications of the
candidate's personal style
when working with others
- notably whether the
candidate will be an asset
to the team in terms of
motivation and morale.

If you are the interviewer

make sure you explain
earlier in the interview
what the situation requires
in terms of results,
parameters and attitudinal
factors.

Tell me about the The proper purpose of this

culture at your last tough question is to see
company/employer. If the past culture was good them explain how you interpret and
how and why in terms that the explain culture, which
interviewee is likely to identify with, for provides an opportunity
example: for you as the the
interviewee to
"The culture encouraged people to demonstrate how you feel
develop, grow, take responsibility. People about and react to
were coached and mentored towards whatever culture was in
 quality and productive effort. All of this
helped me a great deal because I identify
with these values, and respond to these
opportunities."
A good answer, in referring to a non-
supportive culture would be to express
the positive aspects (eg lots of freedom
for me to take initiative, responsibility,
find new ways to contribute, a free
market allowing the good workers to
naturally excel and develop reputation
and internal working relationships, etc.)
Tell me about your life The question is an opportunity for you to
at College or University demonstrate the qualities that the
(or even your time in interviewer is seeking in for the job, so
your previous job). orientate your answer towards these
expectations (without distorting the truth
obviously).
In your answer, emphasise the positive
behaviour, experience and achievements
(ideally backed up with examples and
evidence) which will impress the
interviewer because of its relevance to the
role requirements.
The interviewer is looking for the same
capabilities and behaviour in your college
(or university or previous job) life that
they want in the job.
Your emphasis should be on your
achievements, and how you achieved
them, that are relevant to the job
requirements.
place. It's a potential trap
for interviewees who
would be negative and
critical and apportion
blame, eg 'the culture was
not supportive and so it
didn't help me to perform'
(not a good answer). The
culture question also
invites comments from
the interviewee about
management style, and
again is a trap for
negative respondents who
criticise their past boss
(bad answer), rather than
accentuate the positives
and demonstrate positive
behaviour in negative
situations, which is a
highly desirable trait.
A big open question like
this in an interviewer is a
huge opportunity or huge
trap. It can be a tough
question if not
approached properly.
Interviewees should have
the sense to refer to
previous experiences that
indicate capability and
behaviour of the sort that
the role requires.
It's a trap for interviewees
who look regretfully or
negatively on past
experiences, criticise or
attribute blame, or display
'someone else's fault'
attitudes.
College and University
 are environments which
Interviewers with special interest in provide lots of
behaviour and personality may also use a opportunity. Good
question like this to assess your self- applicants will be able to
awareness and maturity, in the way you demonstrate that they
consider your answer and relate it to your have used the opportunity
own experience and development. to learn and develop,
whether their experiences
were all positive and
successful or not.

What do you want to be It's not easy to answer this in terms of job This is a common tough
doing in 2/5/10 years expectation - no-one can realistically interview question, and it
time? predict what job will be required in 5-10 commonly trips people up
years, let alone whether they will be right into making over-
Or: to do it, so I'd avoid specific job aims or ambitious claims about
claims, unless you actually have a very their future potential and
Where do you want to clear plan, and are seeking a job and worth. It highlights
be in 2/5/10 years time? career which clearly offers predictable feelings of delusion, and a
and structured progression. need for security if they
exist.
For most people and roles, which are
largely unpredictable, this question is best The question encourages
and easiest answered in terms of the sort the interviewee to think
of situation you'd like to be in, which and express their plans
should reinforce all the other good things and aspirations, future
about yourself, for example: direction, needs and
wishes. Some people find
"Making a more significant contribution it more difficult to answer
to whatever organisation I'm working for. than others, depending on
To have developed new skills, abilities, their personality.
maturity - perhaps a little wisdom even.
To have become better qualified in Some people are able to
whatever way suits the situation and plan and see clear steps
opportunities I have. To be better along the way, which
regarded by my peers, and respected by would be more commonly
my superiors as someone who can exhibited by people
continue to increase the value and scale whose work involves this
of what I do for the organisation." approach.

"I'd like more responsibility, because Job roles which require a

that's a result of personal growth and higher level of
progression, and it's important for my adaptability and flexibility
personal satisfaction." are unlikely to attract
 candidates who are
"I have no set aspirations about money meticulous planners.
and reward - if I contribute and add value
to the organisation then generally The question is a
increased reward follows - you get out powerful one because it
what you put in." prompts the interviewee
to think and visualise
"Long term I want to make the most of about themselves and how
my abilities - if possible to build a serious they expect and want to
career, but in this day and age nothing is change.
certain or guaranteed; things can change.
I'll do my best and believe that
opportunities will arise which will enable
me to keep contributing, increasing my
worth, and developing my ability in a
way that benefits the organisation and
me."

Employers will respond well if they see

that you are mature, independent, self-
motivated; that you will make a positive
and growing contribution, and that you
understand that reward (financial,
promotion, responsibility, etc) will always
be based on the quality and value of your
input.

Give an example of This depends on your relationship to the
when you had to settle a two people, so seek clarification if this is
dispute between two not clear, but broadly the aim is to first
individuals. take any heat out of the situation by
calming the individuals. Then firmly
arrange a three-way discussion later in the
day or an early opportunity in the future,
in a suitable environment (closed meeting
room), at which you can facilitate a
proper discussion of the issues, so as to
arrive at an agreed positive way of going
forward or compromise. It's important to
understand each person's standpoint and
feelings, without agreeing with them,
unless the argument concerns a clear
breach of policy or wrong behaviour, in
which case the transgressor should be
counselled separately, after which the
The interviewer is using
this tough question to test
the interviewee's
experience and ability to
diffuse conflict, and also
to step back and take an
objective view, rather than
getting involved and
taking sides, which is the
natural temptation.
Objectivity and
facilitation are important
skills of a good manager,
and this question will
identify whether the
interviewee possesses
them. This question will
also put pressure on the
 three-way meeting can be held to mend
relationships. Arguments come in all
shapes and sizes - a more specific answer
is possible in response to a more specific
scenario.
interviewee's ability to
manage people, because it
provides a tricky people-
management scenario.

What is your ideal job? Mindful of the trap possibilities, the This is a good and tough
interviewee would always do well to interview question, and
qualify the question by asking for a the answer would almost
timescale (at what point in my career?) always trigger a more
before answering. This shows that some specific follow-up
consideration is taking place rather than a question, asking 'why?',
knee-jerk, and that the question is and then probing the
producing a serious response rather than a reasons for the choice.
fanciful one. From the interviewer's
Aside from this, the best answer to the standpoint, the question is
question, as for any interview question, is open and vague, which
to use the opportunity to sell the strengths for certain purposes (see
of the interviewee as a potential asset to the next para re traps) is a
the organisation. This would produce an good thing. If the question
answer that creates a picture of a loyal, is intended to elicit
results-orientated person, making a meaningful information
significant contribution to the about the interviewee's
organisation (status and level would career plans, then some
depend on timescale). If the answer is timescale should be
poor it will trigger a probing follow up attached (ie 'what would
that puts pressure on the interviewee to be your ideal job in 3/5/10
justify a daft response. If the answer is years time?')
impressive there probably won't be a The question exposes
follow-up as there's nothing to probe and interviewees who seek
the interviewer can move on. Wrong only personal gratification
answers would include: 'boss of my own ('outputs') from a role
company' 'your job' 'the top salesman on (money, status, esteem,
half a mill a year' 'CEO of this company' excitement, glamour,
(unless you can justify the claim) a pop security, etc) rather than
star, a railway engine driver, a film star, seeking opportunities to
etc Good answers would include: 'A make best possible use of
manager or executive with this their effort, skills and
organisation in (function relative to experience, in
experience and skill set) where I have the contributing to the
responsibility and accountability for using performance/quality/result
my skills and efforts to achieve great s of the organisation for
results, work alongside great people, and which the role is
get a fair reward.' 'I'd like to become an performed ('inputs').
expert in my field (state function if The question is a potential
 relevant), where I'm able to use my skills trap for people who are
and abilities to make a real difference to more concerned with
the company's performance.' what they get out of a job
rather than what they put
into it. Employers do not
really want to recruit
gratification-orientated
people. These people are
generally not self-starting
nor self-motivating.
The question also gives
indications as to how
realistically the
interviewee sees
themselves. Some people
visualise highly fanciful
and unrealistic jobs,
which is a warning sign to
a potential employer.
Others visualise jobs that
are clearly remote from
the job being applied for,
which indicates that some
falsification or delusion is
present.

Why do you want this Reflect back the qualities required and Opportunity to sell
job? job priorities as being the things you do yourself and show you
best and enjoy. Say why you think the understand what they're
company is good, and that you want to looking for in the
work for an organisation like it. role. Make sure you hit
both of these hot buttons.
It's a touch question if
you've not prepared the
answer.

What did you achieve in Prepare a number of relevant examples Another tough question
your last job? and explain one (two or three if they're which will expose a lack
punchy and going down well). Make sure of preparation or relevant
you feature as the instigator, or the factor experience. The question
that made the difference. Examples must and answer show whether
lead to significant organisational benefits; any achievements have
making money, saving money/time, been made, and what
improving quality, anticipating or values are placed on
 creatively solving problems,
winning/keeping customers, improving
efficiency.
work. Shows motive -
whether process, results,
accuracy, security, social,
etc. Shows understanding
of cause and effect, pro-
active vs passive.

How would you Identify the two or three main issues and
approach this job? How say how you'll deal with them, which
would you do it? shows you can focus on what's important.
Likely to be planing and organising,
ensuring all the communications and
relationships are working well, reviewing
and measuring activities and resources
against outputs and improving where
possible. Emphasise your personal
strengths that are very relevant to the role
requirements.
A tough question if the
interviewee has not
prepared. Shows if you've
thought about what job
requires and entails. Role
and situation needs to
have been explained well
to enable a good response.
Exposes people who can't
actually do the job.

What are your Prepare three that are relevant to the
strengths? requirements of the role. Be able to
analyse why and how you are strong in
those areas. Mix in some behaviours,
knowledge and experience and well as
skills, and show that you understand the
difference. Style should be quite
confidence rather than arrogant or over-
confident.
Shows whether candidate
has self-awareness, and
can identify what
strengths are relevant to
role. Shows if candidate
has thought and planned.
A glaring omission if not
planned as this is such an
obvious question that
everyone should be
prepared for. Strengths
should obviously relate to
the needs of the employer
and the role.

What are your Start by saying that you don't believe you A tough question if
weaknesses? are actually 'weak' in any area. answered without proper
Acknowledge certain areas that you thought. A trap for the
believe you can improve, (and then pick unsuspecting or naive.
some relatively unimportant or irrelevant Will show up those
areas). If you must state a weakness these who've not prepared as
are the clever ones that are actually this is another obvious
strengths: not suffering fools gladly; question to expect. Will
sometimes being impatient with other also prompt follow-up
people's sloppy work; being too questions probing what
 demanding; refusing to give in when you
believe strongly about something; trying
to do too much, etc, etc.
What would your Another opportunity to state relevant
references say about strengths, skills and behaviours.
you?
How do you handle Say that you tend not to get tense or
tension/stress? stressed because you plan and organise
properly. Say you look after the other
things that can cause stress - health,
fitness, diet, lifestyle, etc. Talk about
channeling pressure positively - thinking,
planning, keeping a balanced approach.
What was the last book Be honest, as the interviewer might have
you read and how did it read it too. There's no shame in admitting
affect you? to lightweight reading material if that's
what you like - put it in context, why you
read it, and give a positive result,
whatever it is. Be able to give an
intelligent reaction to what you've read.
Don't be too clever or try to impress as
nobody likes a smart arse.
What does/did your Tell the truth.
father do for a living?
You are you. Your parents are different
or people.
What do your parents do Your parents have no bearing on how
for a living? your value should be judged.
or Avoid reacting in a defensive,
judgemental, ashamed or critical way.
Tell me about what your
parents do for a living. Avoid any suggestion that any parental
the candidate is doing to
improve the weakness,
which is worth preparing
for also.
Potential trap to draw out
weaknesses - don't fall for
it.
Exposes people who can't
deal with pressure or don't
recognise that lifestyle
issues are important for
good working. Exposes
the misguided macho
approach that stress can
be good. It ain't.
Will provide another
perspective of the
interviewee's personality
that may not otherwise
surface. Opportunity to
demonstrate skills ,
aptitudes, special
interests, self-
development, analytical
ability, self-awareness.
May expose feelings or
issues that can be probed
further.
This question is not
appropriate or helpful in
most interview situations,
but it can arise, and when
it does so it can be quite
emotive, which is mainly
why it's listed here.
The question is designed
to expose people who are
over-protective or
insecure, or who might
 influence on others has been or could be think that they are
or useful to your own career or success (i.e., somehow entitled to
references relating to 'old school tie' , or privilege because of who
What work are your 'it's not what you know it's who you their father is or has
parents involved in? know'). achieved.

The question can also

expose emotional hang-
ups or sensitivities if any
exist, with a view to
further
exploration/discussion.

Interviewers should use

this question with great
care, if indeed there is a
good reason for using the
question at all.

Tell me about a big Avoid anything deeply personal or Can expose emotional
challenge or difficulty seriously emotional unless you are in raw nerves or
you've faced; how did complete control of your feelings about it. sensitivities. Opportunity
you deal with it? Try to prepare an example that's work- to show proof of being
related and relevant to the role. able to achieve results in
the face of difficulty. Is
this person actually
experienced are they just
saying they are. (Experto
Credite - Trust one who
has proved it)

Tell me about something Don't get trapped into admitting to a Exposes hang-ups and
recently that really temper or loss of control. Say you tend to style of management and
annoyed you. get more annoyed with yourself than with communication. Exposes
other people or other situations. anyone who believes it's
Annoyance isn't very productive, so you okay or even good to get
tend to try to understand and concentrate cross with other people. It
on finding a way around a problem or ain't.
putting things straight.

Give me some examples Prepare this as one of your strengths, as Exposes single-style non-
of how you have there's not a single job that won't benefit adaptive communicators,
adapted your own from good adaptive communication who don't understand or
communicating style to skills. Give examples of how you've been adapt to different people
deal with different detailed and given written confirmation and situations.
people and situations. for people who need it. Give examples of
how you verbally enthuse and inspire the
people who respond to challenge and
recognition. Think of other examples of
adapting your style to suit the recipients.
Give examples when you've had to be
task-driven, process driven, people-
driven, and how you change your style
accordingly. A chance for you to truly
shine.

Can we check your Yes. Exposes people who are

references? not comfortable about
having their references
checked, in which case
probe. Exposes people
who've not had the
foresight to organise an
important controllable
aspect of their job search,
which is a bad sign.

What type of people do Say generally you get on with everyone. Exposes hang-ups and
you get on with Say you respond most to genuine, prejudices. May prompt
most/least? positive, honest people. If pressed as to issues to probe, in which
people you don't get on with, say ask why.

Excellent answer - now You may be hit with this if you're too Will knock a lot of people
can you give me an contrived or clever, in which case give an off guard, and expose any
example that wasn't so example of something that didn't quite go tendencies to confront or
good? so well, but make sure you present it argue.
positively and say what you learned from
it. Don't try to stick to your guns and
maintain that you're perfect - show a little
human weakness.

Give me an example of Don't admit to having produced poor A trap - don't fall in it.
when you've produced work ever. Say you've probably made one
some poor work and or two mistakes - everyone does - but that
how you've dealt with it. you always do everything you can to put
them straight, learn from them and made
sure you'll not make the same mistake
again.
What do you find Pick a relatively irrelevant skill and say Another trap to expose
difficult in that you don't find it as easy as you'd like, weaknesses, and an
work/life/relationships so you're working on it (don't just make opportunity to show
(etc)? this up - think about it and be truthful). strengths instead if played
Don't own up to a weakness in an area properly.
that's important to the role. As with the
weaknesses question, you can state
certain difficulties because they are
actually quite acceptable, even
commendable, they'd include: suffering
fools gladly, giving up an impossible task,
tolerating unkind behaviour like bullying,
having to accept I can't help certain big
problems in the world, etc.

How do you plan and Planning and writing a plan is very
organise your work? important. I think how best to do things
before I do them, if it's unknown territory
I'd take advice, learn from previous
examples - why re-invent the wheel? I
always prioritise, I manage my time, and
I understand the difference between
urgent and important. For very complex
projects I'd produce quite a detailed
schedule and plan review stages. I even
plan time-slots for activities that aren't in
themselves organised, like thinking time,
and being creative, solving problems, etc.
A great opportunity to
shine and show
management potential.
Planning and organising is
one of the keys to good
work at any level so it's
essential to acknowledge
this. Exposes unreliable
people who take pride in
flying by the seat of their
pants.

How much are you Be honest about what you've been Exposes unrealistic
earning?/do you want to earning and realistic about what you want people. An opportunity to
earn? to earn. demonstrate you
understand the basic
principle that everyone
needs to justify their cost.
Extra pay should be based
on extra performance or
productivity.

How many hours a week It varies according to the situation. I plan Exposes the clock-
do you work/prefer to and organise well, so unless there's a watchers and those who
work? crisis or unusual demand I try to finish at attach some misplaced
a sensible time so as to have some time macho pride in burning
for my family/social life/outside interests. the candle at both ends.
 It's important to keep a good balance. I
start earlier than most people - you can
get a lot done before the phones start
ringing. When the pressure's on though
I'm happy to work as long as it takes to
get the job done. It's not about the number
of hours - it's the quality of the work that
you do; how productive you are.
Look for a sense of
balance, with flexibility to
go beyond the call of duty
on occasions when really
required.

Do you make mistakes? Be honest. Yes of course on occasions, Anyone who says they
but I obviously try not to, and I always try don't make mistakes
to correct them and learn from them. either isn't telling the
truth, or never does
anything at all. Whatever,
a 'no' here is a big
warning signal. (Ack.
Linda Larkin)

(Follow above question Absolutely I can - I get the guidance I Shows whether the person
with) - Can you share need, and it may help prevent others from can take responsibility
your mistakes with making the same mistake. and guidance. A mature,
others? positive approach to
learning from mistakes is
a great characteristic.
(Ack. LL)

How to do measure your By the results that I achieve, and that I Exposes people who are
own effectiveness? achieve them in the most positive way. If not results orientated -
there isn't an existing measure of this I'll more concerned with
usually create one. process, relationships,
airy-fairy intangibles.

How do you like to be Be truthful, but express positively. I'm Indicates ability to
managed /not like to be generally very adaptable to most cooperate and manage
managed? management styles. In the past I've upwards, also how
helped my bosses get the best out of me management attention
by talking to them and developing a you'll need. Exposes
really good understanding. I work best potential awkwardness.
when I'm given freedom and Only the most
responsibility to take some of the load off experienced and capable
my boss's shoulders - they have enough to managers will be seeking
deal with. Do not respond to the negative difficult dominant types,
and give any example of how you do not and only then for certain
like to be managed. roles requiring a high
 level of independence and
initiative.

What personal goals do Prepare for this - be able to state your
you have and how are personal and career goals - keep them
you going about reasonable, achievable and balanced.
achieving them? Explain how you see the steps to reaching
your aims. An important part of achieving
progress is planning how to do it. Be able
to demonstrate that you've thought and
planned, but also show that you are
flexible and adaptable, because it's
impossible to predict the future - the
important thing is to learn and develop,
and take advantage of opportunities as
they come along.
Exposes those with little
or no initiative. People
who don't plan or take
steps to achieve their own
personal progress will not
be pro-active at work
either. People who don't
think and plan how to
progress will tend to be
reactive and passive,
which is fine if the role
calls for no more, but
roles increasingly call for
planning and action rather
than waiting for
instructions.

How do you balance Say balance is essential. All work and no Can expose those with
work and family/social play isn't good for anyone, but obviously outside interests that may
commitments? work must come first if you want to do prevail over work
well and progress. Planning and commitments (keen
organising my work well, and getting sports-people, etc., who
results, generally means that I have time cannot put work first.)
for my outside interests and there's no Indicates whether the
conflict. interviewee has balanced
approach to life.
Obsession with work to
the exclusion of most else
is not generally a good
sign.

Why should we appoint You have a choice here as to how to play Pressure question -
you? this: you can either go for it strongly, re- opportunity for
stating your relevant strengths - interviewee to clearly and
behaviour, experience and skills, or you confidently stake their
can quietly confidently suggest: I don't claim. Look again for the
know the other applicants, so it would be interviewee to state
wrong for me to dismiss their claims. relevant strengths in
However, I am sure that I have all the behaviour, experience and
main attributes the role requires, which, skills. Look also for good
combined with determination and positive eye-contact when
 approach, should ensure that I'd be a very pledging hard work,
good choice. (If management loyalty, determination,
progression/succession is seen as a etc.
benefit then you must refer to your
willingness to develop and take on greater
responsibilities in the future.)

What can you do for us I don't know the other applicants, but Pressure question, and
that other people generally I excel at . . . (pick your one that enables the stars
cannot? strengths that most fit with what they're to shine. Look for
seeking). Introduce some behavioural and awareness in the
style strengths as well as skills, and show interviewee that they
you know the difference between them. know what their relevant,
even special, strengths
are, and can link them to
benefits that they would
bring to the role.

Tell me about yourself. You must rehearse this one. Have ready a Will show whether
descriptions of yourself and why you're applicant has self-
like it. Don't just spout a lot of standard awareness - a critical skill
adjectives, say why you are like you are. that not everyone
Don't ramble on and tail off. make a few possesses. Will also show
clear statements and finish. if applicant can think and
present a complex case
clearly and to the point.
Also shows confidence
and security levels, and
'grown-upness'.

What makes you mad? Nothing really makes me mad - it's not a
good way to deal with anything. Certain
things disappoint or upset me - rudeness,
arrogance, spitefulness (pick any obvious
nasty traits or behaviours, particularly
behaviours that you believe your
interviewer will personally dislike too.)
Exposes poor self-control
or unreasonable
aversions, fears, and
insecurities. Exposes lack
of tolerance and
emotional triggers. Clever
interviewers may infer or
encourage a feeling in the
way they ask the question
that it's okay to get mad.
Don't fall for it.

What do you think of Don't be critical. If possible be generous Exposes back-biting,

your last with praise and say why, giving positive bitterness, grudges,
boss/employer? reasons. If there was a conflict don't lie, inability to handle
but describe fairly and objectively relationships. Exposes
without pointing blame. people who can't accept
the company-line.

If you won a million on Probably save most of it, give some away, Exposes the foolhardy, the
the lottery what would maybe a small treat for myself but irresponsible and the
you do? nothing excessive. I could handle it I dreamers. Opportunity to
think because I'd always want to work, demonstrate level-
I'm quite sensible with money, maybe headedness, morality,
start my own business if I could be really work ethic, intelligence to
sure to make a success of it. know that money doesn't
buy happiness.

stress and pressure interview questions

When dealing with questions that put pressure on you or create stress, be
confident, credible and constructive (accentuate the positive) in your
answers. And make sure you prepare. Stress and pressure questions come in
all sorts of shapes and sizes. Three commonly used types of pressure
questions are those dealing with weakness and failure; blame; and evidence
of ability or experience.

weakness and failure questions

"Tell me about your failures....", or "What are your greatest
weaknesses......". are the interviewer's equivalent to "Are you still beating
your wife?..".

Don't be intimidated by these questions - you don't have to state a failing or

a weakness just because the interviewer invites you to.

"I don't generally fail", or "I really can't think of any", are perfectly
acceptable answers. Short and sweet, and then wait smiling for the come-
back - you'll have demonstrated that you are no mug and no pushover. If you
are pressed (as you probably will be), here's your justification answer, or if
you wish to appear a little more self-effacing use this as a first response:

"I almost always succeed because plan and manage accordingly. If

something's not going right I'll change it until it works. The important thing is
to put the necessary checks and contingencies in place that enable me to
see if things aren't going to plan, and to make changes when and if
necessary....."

or

"There are some things I'm not so good at, but I'd never say these are
weaknesses as such - a weakness is a vulnerability, and I don't consider
myself vulnerable. If there's something I can't do or don't know, then I find
someone who can do it or does know."

Do you see the positive orientation? Turn it around into a positive every time.

blame questions
Watch out also for the invitation to rubbish your past job or manager,
especially in the form of: "Why did you leave your last job?", or "Why have
you had so many jobs?"

The interviewer is not only satisfying curiosity.......... if you say your last
boss was an idiot, or all your jobs have been rubbish, you'll be seen as
someone who blames others and fails to take responsibility for your own
actions and decisions.

Employers want to employ people who take responsibility, have initiative and
come up with answers, not problems. Employers do not want to employ
people who blame others.

So always express positive reasons and answers when given an opportunity

to express the negative. Never blame anyone or anything else.

"I was ready for more challenge", or "Each job offered a better opportunity,
which I took", or "I grow and learn quickly and I look for new opportunities",
or "I wanted to get as much different experience as quickly as I could before
looking for a serious career situation, which is why I'm here."

I great technique for exploiting the blame question trap is to praise your past
managers and employers. Generosity is a positive trait, so demonstrate it.
Keep your praise and observations credible, realistic and relevant: try to
mention attributes that your interviewer and prospective new employer will
identify and agree with. This will build association and commonality between
you and the interviewer, which is normally vital for successful interview
outcomes. They need to see that you think like they do; that you'll fit in.

prove it questions
These can be the toughest of the lot. Good interviewers will press you for
evidence if you make a claim. So the answer is - be prepared.

Watch out for closed questions: "Can you do so-and-so?.." , "Have you any
experience in such-and-such?..."

These questions invite a yes or no answer and will be about a specific area.

If you give a yes, be prepared to deal with the sucker punch: "Can you give
me an example?........"

The request for examples or evidence will stop you in your tracks if you've
not prepared or can't back up your answer.

The trick is before the interview to clearly understand the requirements of

the job you're being interviewed for. Ask to see the job description,
including local parameters if applicable, and any other details that explain
the extent and nature of the role. Think about how you can cover each
requirement with examples and evidence. Wherever possible use evidence
that's quantified and relates to commercial or financial outputs.

Companies are interested in people who understand the notion of

maximising return on investment, or return on effort. If your examples and
evidence stand up as good cost-effective practice, they'll clock up even more
points for you.

Make sure you prepare examples of the relevant capabilities or experience

required, so that you're ready for the 'prove it' questions. You can even take
papers or evidence material with you to show -having hard evidence, and the
fact that you've thought to prepare it, greatly impresses interviewers.

If you don't have the evidence (or personal coverage of a particular

requirement), then don't bluff it and say yes when you'd be better off saying,
"No, however...."

Use "No, however ..." (and then your solution or suggestion), if asked for
something that you simply don't have.

Give an example of where previously you've taken on a responsibility without

previous experience or full capability, and made a success, by virtue of using
other people's expertise, or fast-tracking your own development or
knowledge or ability.

On this point - good preparation should include researching your employer's

business, their markets and their competitors. This will help you relate your
own experience to theirs, and will show that you have bothered to do the
research itself.

In summary, to deal with pressure questions: Keep control. Take time to think
for yourself - don't be intimidated or led anywhere you don't want to go.
Express every answer in positive terms. And do your preparation.

(This item about stress and pressure interview questions was written for the
Sydney Morning Herald, extracts of which appeared in April 2004.)

competency-based and behaviour interviews

questions - 'how would you do this...?'
For interviewers these are powerful and effective questions. These questions
make the interviewee tell you how they would approach, handle, deal with,
solve, etc., a particular situation, problem, project or challenge that is
relevant to the job role in question. The situation could be from the
interviewee's past experience, a hypothetical scenario, or a real situation
from the interviewing organisation. As the interviewer you should judge the
answers objectively. Avoid the temptation to project your own style and
feelings into the assessment of whether the answer is good or bad. Look for
thoughtfulness, structure, cause and effect rationale, pragmatism. The
candidate may not approach the question like you do, but they may have a
perfectly effective style and approach to the answer just the same. The
answers will indicate the interviewee's approach, methodology, experience
and competency in relation to the scenario, to how they get things done, and
also the style by which they do it.

From the interviewee's perspective, these questions commonly start with a

scenario and a question as to how you as the interviewee would deal with it.
Or the question might ask you to give an example of how you have handled
a particular situation or challenge in the past. Or the interviewer might ask
how you would approach a current situation in their own organisation.

In these cases the interviewer will often judge your answers according to
how much they agree with your behavioural approach. The questions may
initially seem or be positioned as competency-based, but often the
interviewer will be treating this really as a question of behaviour and style.

And as ever, without going to unreasonable lengths your answers should

reflect the style expected/preferred/practised by the
interviewer/organization. People like people like them.
For instance - a results-driven interviewer, certain high achieving dominant
personalities, aspiring MD's, certain ruthless types, will warm to answers with
a high results-based orientation (eg '....I focus on what needs to be done to
achieve the task, to get the job done, to cut through the red tape and
peripherals, ignoring the distractions, etc. Strong incentive, encouragement,
clear firm expectations and timescales, deliverables, etc........' - the language
of the achiever.

Alternatively, if you find yourself being interviewed by a persuasive, friendly,

influential, egocentric type, (lots of sales managers are like this) then frame
your answers to mirror that style - '.....I use persuasion, inspiration, leading
by example, helping, providing justification, reasons, empathising with the
situation and people who are doing the job, motivating according to what
works with different people, understanding what makes them tick...' - all that
sort of stuff.

HR interviewers are often 'people-types' and will warm to answers that are
sensitive, and take strong account of people's feelings, happiness, well-
being, sense of fairness and ethics, honesty, integrity, process, accuracy,
finishing what's been started, having a proper plan, steady, reliable,
dependable, etc. - the language of the fair and the disciplined.

Technical interviewers, eg., MD's who've come up through science, technical,

finance disciplines, will warm to answers which demonstrate the use of
accuracy, plans, monitoring, clearly stated and understood aims, methods,
details, checking, measuring, reporting, analysing.

These are generalisations of course, but generally relevant in most interview

situations when you are asked 'How would you ...?'

Obviously be true to yourself where you can. It's a matter of tint and
orientation, not changing your colour altogether.

Occasionally you might meet a really good interviewer who is truly objective,
in which case mirroring is not so useful - whereas confidence, maturity,
integrity, flexibility, compassion, tolerance, pragmatism are, and as such
should be demonstrated in the way you answer questions of a balanced
mature non-judgemental interviewer.

Interviews can be a bit of a game, so when you see that it is, play it - the
more you see subjective judgement and single-track behaviour in the
interviewer, then the more advantage there is in mirroring the interviewer's
style in your answers.

People like people like them. Which very definitely extends to assessing
behaviour-based competency.
giving presentations at job interviews
Being asked to give a presentation at your interview is a great opportunity
for you to shine and stand out from the crowd.

While giving interview presentations can understandably be daunting, a little

preparation and thought will enable you to use the situation to great
advantage. This is chiefly because giving a presentation offers you a much
better platform than is normally available when simply answering an
interviewer's questions.

A presentation enables you to showcase your attributes and qualities - and

often to research and prepare - way beyond the constraints normally
encountered in reacting to conventional interview questions.

So if you are asked to give a presentation - regardless of the time available

for preparation - welcome the challenge - be prepared, and make the most of
the your chance to show what you can do.

Demonstrating an organizational or strategic interpretation and

enthusiasm for the role - showing that you can add value beyond
what the employer hopes for - is the key to standing out as a star
candidate.

Research, preparation, and freedom to create and deliver a great

presentation are the main the ingredients for anyone seeking to make an
impact in any situation - and all of these are enabled when you are invited to
give an interview presentation.

While the guidelines below are chiefly for interviewees they also help
interviewers in creating instructions and a basis for reviewing and assessing
presentations given by job candidates at interviews.

When you are asked to give a presentation at an interview you should use
whatever time is available to consider the following questions in relation to
the employer organization, their market place and how your filling the role
can bring them what they need and more.

Here are some strategic questions to consider and resolve as far as possible
prior to planning an interview presentation. The scenario is a job vacancy in
training, but the principles transfer to any role.
1. Understand the significance of any particular key words used
in the presentation instructions - think about the words used by
the recruiting organization in their letter or specification, for example
"...give a technical presentation..." or "...give a professional
presentation..." Think about what they mean exactly by a word like
'technical' or 'professional'. Words like these are often especially
significant clues to the sort of presentation style and content that the
interviewers are seeking. Try to get into their shoes and understand
exactly what they are looking for in the successful applicant.
2. What are the essential competencies and attributes they need
in the role? Cover the basics - the job description is usually a good
indication, but sometimes you should look beyond this to more of an
industry-standard approach, especially if the job description is a little
flaky. Sometimes the employer will expect you to help re-define the
role - employers don't always know what they want, or the full extent
of what the role. Showing that you understand the role is a good basis
for demonstrating that you can actually perform in the role.
3. What gaps/opportunities exist in their knowledge/use of
alternative/advanced training design and delivery
technology/methods (or other role-relevant issues as
appropriate)? Recruiting new people offers employers the
opportunity to introduce new ideas and keep up to date with modern
approaches, technologies, methods, etc. You should demonstrate that
you will be a good source of new ideas and methods when you join
them. Addressing this in a presentation enables you to show how you
will add value to the employer's technology, innovation, methods, etc.
4. What particular challenges or crises do they face that you can
help them fix? Identifying and solving problems are usually big
priorities for new people, if only because everyone else had tried and
failed. New blood and fresh enthusiasm are often essential to break
deadlocks and find solutions to long-standing problems. So try to
discover their big challenges and difficulties, and consider how you'd
approach them, without making unqualified assumptions, or running
the risk of repeating things they've already tried. This sort of
consideration of their challenges and approaches to solutions requires
a balanced approach - not being too assumptive or presumptuous, but
at the same time demonstrating a level of confidence and
determination to tackle problems creatively with a fresh incisive view
and impetus.
5. What specifically can you bring to the situation which will
improve their competitive position in relation to their own
markets and customers? This element of a presentation
demonstrates that you can add value to the organization in terms of
sales, business, profit and ultimately financial performance, (an area of
enormous importance for most employers) by your appreciation of how
the performance of your role can bring competitive advantage and
 improvement to the organization. Consider what you can do that will
enable the organization to retain and attract more customers and
business. The ability to translate and express your job in terms of
competitive advantage - or in the non-profit sector, in terms of quality
of service - is an irresistible proposition for most employers.
6. What crucial differences/innovations/improvements could you
bring beyond even their ideal expectations? This is your personal
Wow Factor. The employer will have a baseline expectation of the sort
of candidate required to fill the vacancy. A number of candidates might
meet this specification. So what can you offer that goes beyond the
baseline expectation? What can you do that's different and better than
other candidates, in a way that the organization will regard it as
making a significant additional contribution - perhaps in an area or
areas which they have not yet even considered? Think about, prepare,
and build into your presentation a really special advantage or
capability you can offer that no-one else can, and translate this into
what it could do for them.
7. How can you help them better identify, measure and improve
crucial performance in their overall learning and development
(or other role-relevant functions), and beyond this into their
operations? This adds value in the crucial and often neglected areas
of measurement, control and implementation. Most employers do not
actually measure and appreciate the critical priorities of their
operations, and how these key performance areas are affected and
enabled (or frustrated) by particular roles within the organization. As a
job candidate when you demonstrate that you can perform the role up
to and beyond the organization's basic needs, and then additionally
contribute much needed strategic interpretation and implementation
support, you will be presenting a very powerful case indeed that you
are the best candidate for the job.

At all times keep this at the back of your mind that unless the vacancy is for
a very specific and limited role, then the interview is actually mostly about
the recruiting organization and the interviewer(s), not you.

What this means is that you must present yourself in terms that make sense
to and match the needs of the organization. Everything you say about
yourself must be couched in terms of what it will mean for the employer.
There is no point in presenting a glowing picture of yourself and your
knowledge, experience, capabilities, etc., in glorious isolation. Instead you
must prepare and present everything about yourself so that you are
irresistibly relevant to the needs and aims and challenges of the
organization.
The interview presentation offers you a wonderful opportunity to do this - to
demonstrate that you can enable relevant and effective
improvement/achievement for their biggest problems and opportunities,
better than any of the other candidates.

Research and understand their issues. Then prepare and and present your
own personal added value in relation to their situation.

Here are some more general tips on creating and giving presentations.

Finally some quick ideas for structure, especially when little preparation time
is available:

The Rule of Three

1. Introduction or aims.
2. The points you want to make (three, subdivided if necessary).
3. Summary - and ideally an impressive memorable finishing statement.

The Tell 'Em Rule

1. Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em,

2. Tell 'em,
3. Then tell 'em what you told' em.

(Again, essentially intro, key points, summary.)

Three Big Points

(Especially for surprise presentations when you only have a few minutes to
prepare.)

Three big points must address the three biggest outcomes that the
organization needs from the new appointment.

1. Brainstorm (jot down as many relevant ideas for the three outcomes as
you can).
2. Decide (confirm if at all possible) and reduce these down to the three
biggest outcomes that the interviewers are seeking from the person
to be appointed into the role.
3. Then hit them hard with how you will achieve each of the three big
outcomes - and also how you (and they) will assess the effectiveness
of the solutions. (Assessment is crucial to awareness, validation and
control.)
questions to ask at interview - for
interviewees
While this section essentially gives guidance and tips to interviewees these
ideas and principles will also help interviewers.

At job interviews it's as important for you the interviewee to prepare

questions to ask the interviewer as it is to prepare answers and readiness
for the questions that the interviewer will ask you.

If you are the interviewer, ensure you offer the interviewee the opportunity
to ask questions about the job, the management, the organisation and the
market within which it operates. The questions that job candidates ask at
interview provide valuable insights as to their attitude, maturity, capability
and strategic understanding of the role and the organisation, so for
interviewers, questions asked by interviewees form a significant and
illuminating part of the interview process. Listen to and learn from what
interviewees ask you - often the questions that interviewees ask will provide
more information to the interviewer than anything you ask them.

As the interviewee, take full advantage of opportunities to ask questions.

Asking good well-prepared and researched questions is your chance to
demonstrate that you are better than the other candidates, and to show that
you have a tremendous capability and understanding and potential,
irrespective of what the interviewer asks you.

Preparing and asking great questions at your own job interview dramatically
reduces any dependance that you might otherwise have for the interviewer
to ask you 'the right questions'. It won't matter if the interviewer doesn't ask
good helpful questions, or fails to prompt the sort of discussion that allows
you to show how brilliant you are - instead, you can control this area of
discussion yourself by asking the interviewer great questions that will make
them sit up and realise what an excellent candidate you are.

An helpful although not absolutely essential aspect towards asking the

interviewer good questions is good research (which follows later on this
page).

A key to asking great questions at your interview is to ask questions that

impress the interviewer. Most candidates just ask about routine details
that they think they ought to know, or which they think of on the spur of the
moment, but which will probably be provided in due course anyway in
documentation about terms and conditions. This is meaningless twaddle and
to be avoided.

Instead focus on the job priorities and scope, on the organisation and ways
to make a difference or an improvement. Try to think strategically like a
manager, and for very senior positions, like the CEO. Try to adopt the mind-
set of a helpful advisor who needs to ask helpful facilitative questions. Focus
on the organisation not on your own needs.

Try to prepare and ask questions that make the interviewer think to
themselves, "Wow, that's a good question - this candidate has really thought
about the role, and understands the sort of issues we need them to
handle/the sort of responsibilities/initiatives we want them to take.."

Aim to ask questions that make the interviewer think, (depending on what
the organisation and role requires), "Wow, that's an unusual question - this
candidate is special - they are demonstrating to me that they understand
people/understand about communications/have great integrity/a strong
value system/great humanity/maturity/a good strategic mind/etc, etc."

Think before the interview about what the successful candidate will be like -
ask yourself beforehand, what great questions would the successful
candidate ask? And then be that person.

When you research the job look into the sort of challenges the organisation is
facing, and think how this affects the vacant role. What does the employer
need from the successful applicant? How might the role be extended to
contribute more to the organisation if the job were performed by a suitably
positive and capable person ? (That's you incidentally.) The job advert or job
specification might give you some clues. Do your research so that you
understand as much as possible about the priorities of the job position, and
the organisation and its situation, and then think about the ways that the
role could be extended to provide greater support towards achieving
organisational challenges.

This sort of background thinking will help you to prepare questions that will
seriously impress any interviewer, whatever the role. It is possible also to
think of good positive impressive questions just by using what you know of
the role and the sort of issues that face modern employers. The point is, you
need to think about it and prepare beforehand.

For example:

examples of good questions to ask

interviewers
These types of questions are certainly appropriate for interviewees to ask an
interviewer at an interview for a junior-to-middle ranking role. For more
strategic roles and executive responsibilities you'll need to raise the strategic
perspective of some of these questions - use your judgement. Remember,
the aim is to make the interviewer think (always relative to the role), "Wow,
that's a good question.."

In any event adapt the wording and develop alternative questions to suit
your own style and the situations concerned.

"Of the main priorities and expectations attached to this role, which ones are
well understood and measurable, and which are not?"

"If the CEO/MD/Departmental Manager/you were to name the three most

important priorities for this role/the successful candidate to achieve in the
first six months, what would they be, and how would they be measured?"

"I'm aware that this market is fast

moving/competitive/mature/local/regional/national/international (whatever
your research indicates); how is this affecting the strategic priorities and the
demands on the role/vacant position?"

"Communications, internal and external, are clearly extremely important in

this organisation; what are the related priorities for this role?"

"I've read that you (the employer organisation) face a lot of competition from
XYZ (sector, company, whatever); what do you think are the main ways that
the successful candidate can help the organisation deal with this threat?"

"Where are the priorities/What are the issues for this role/the successful
candidate in terms of maintaining/developing/improving effective inter-
departmental relations?"

"What are the priorities and challenges as regards areas for change and
improvement facing the department/organisation/team
within/connecting/relating to the role?"

"What is the balance of priorities for this role - short-term efficiencies and
performance, or longer-term planning and organising?"

"If someone were to come into this role and begin to make a significant
impact on culture and morale, what sort of changes would people/you/the
management/the board/the CEO want to see most, and how would this be
measured?"
"It's normal that most roles are operating considerably below their potential
to contribute to strategic change/organisational performance and
improvement; what are the expectations in terms of broadening the scope of
this role"?

"How might this role positively impact on/contribute to customer

relations/organisational development/culture/staff morale/training and
development/legislative anticipation/market development/sales
development/business retention in ways that it's not done so far?"

"Where do think there might be opportunities for this role to connect

with/cooperate with other functions, and what's stopped that happening in
the past?"

"What are the vulnerabilities in processes/people/business retention/grow/

technology, ITC systems within the organisation/department that need to be
attended to?"

And so on.. You get the idea?

Serious, strategic, thoughtful, facilitative questions. Questions that amaze

the interviewer - about things they might not have even considered. In fact
the best questions should make the interviewer think, "My God, if this person
can have this level of insight, and such a positive enlightened approach at
the interview, just imagine what they'll be able to do when they get their feet
under the table..."

This sort of positive expansive questioning is not limited to strategic

management positions - every job role is potentially strategic - what
makes the role strategic is the person doing it, not the job title or status.

And the role can be in any function, any industry, any type of organisation -
doesn't matter - every role interfaces in some way or another with people,
processes, other departments, customers and suppliers (internal or external),
and so has a strategic dimension. recognise the strategic dimension;
influence it positively, and you get asked to do it on a wider scale. Asking
good questions at a job interview helps the job candidate to demonstrate
that they have this potential.

Organisations, and therefore interviewers want to recruit people into all roles
who can come in and make a positive difference. By asking well-prepared
and thoughtful questions, you can demonstrate that you are one of these
people.
Being an advocate of the maxim 'accentuate the positive' I am usually
loath to dwell on negative examples, however in this case I make an
exception because this is an important no-go area.

Just as it's helpful for interviewees to prepare and ask good questions, so it's
helpful also to avoid asking routine questions that waste time and can often
be covered more efficiently in some other way (by reading a document for
example.)

questions to avoid asking

Contrast the expansive, positive strategic questions above, about job scope
and contribution to organisational effectiveness, with this stuff below.
Interviewers will generally react negatively (secretly usually) to questions
such as the following examples, so unless you are a very junior person going
for a very junior role with an employer who has not prepared in advance this
type of routine information, avoid asking questions like these at your
interview.

• "How many weeks holiday do I get?.."

• "When would I get a pay-rise?.."
• "What are the lunch times?.."
• "What sort of car do I get?.."
• "What other perks are there?.."
• "What are the pension
arrangements?.."
• "Do you have a grievance
procedure?.."
• "What expenses can I claim for?.."
• "How soon before I could get
promoted?.."
• "When is going-home time?.."
Do not ask these questions
These are warning-sign questions to most
interviewers. Do not ask these questions
at interview unless you want to be seen as
someone who cares more about the pay
and perks than the job and the
organisation, let alone making a positive
difference in the place.

• and others like these

Generally speaking these questions suggest to the interviewer that the

candidate is mostly interested in what the organisation can give the
employee, rather than the other way around. Interviewers want to meet and
recruit interviewees who see things in terms of what the employee can do for
the organisation.

Find another way to get this sort of information if you really need to know it
at the face-to-face interview. Good employers will explain all this to
interviewees during the interview or in written terms and conditions, which
many employers will send out prior to the interview. As suggested in the tips
at the start of this page ask prior to the interview for a copy of the
employment terms and conditions or an employee handbook. If they don't
have this or can't send it, and you have a burning question about these sort
of 'hygiene factors', the best way to approach it is to ask something like:

"What's the best way for me to see the routine details about the employment
terms and conditions relating to this role? Do you have a handbook or
sample contract for example? I don't want to waste time here going through
incidentals..."

By doing this you demonstrate several important things, that:

• you regard these things as secondary - implication being that you

regard doing the job as the priority
• you respect the value of time, since you appreciate there are better
things to concentrate on during an interview
• you understand the principle of efficient information management and
communication, on the basis that all this detail will be available
somewhere to read rather than have to waste effort asking individual
questions
• you are professional - because providing information like this in the
way you suggest is the most professional way to do it.

Of course the job-grade and seniority of the vacancy and the size of the
employer organisation will affect the significance and transfer of this sort of
information. In an interview with a tiny little company for a junior clerk's
position the interviewee can be forgiven for asking these sorts of questions
relating to terms and conditions, not least because the company might not
be professional or organised enough to have produced a proper handbook or
contract, nevertheless, whatever the role and size of employer, the less time
spent asking about all this sort of information the better. And certainly avoid
the entire area in interviews for professional positions with professional
employers, especially in commercially competitive functions and industry
sectors.

A final point about questions to ask at interviews when you are the
interviewee:

asking for the job

In certain circumstances, especially for sales and commercial roles, there
might be an expectation or opportunity for you to 'close' or ask for the job,
which is potentially the most powerful question of all to ask.
If you really want the job and can accept an offer there and then, there is
often a lot to be gained, and very little to be lost, by asking for the job at the
end of the interview, although bear in mind the effect that this tactic has on
salary negotiation.

Obviously it's only appropriate in certain situations; notably towards the end
of the recruiting process when the interviewers have seen all the candidates,
or if the employer has more vacancies than they can easily fill.

Similarly, it's reasonable to ask for a second interview, or to be shortlisted, if

that's the next stage in the process.

Persistence and determination are highly valued attributes, logically in sales

and selling organisations, but also beyond the sales functions. In fact some
job candidates successfully take the method to extremes and simply do not
take no for an answer, virtually camping out on the employer's doorstep until
they are eventually brought in from the cold and offered the job. The
decision-maker, typically an owner-manager or CEO in such situations, is
finally forced to concede that if the person wants the job that badly then
perhaps they'll be rather a good bet after all. This sort of determination is
often associated with loyalty and commitment - and uniqueness - which can
all create a compelling case for decision-makers who are attuned to this sort
of style, particularly if other candidates are thin on the ground.

While these extremes are not for everyone, anyone is entitled to ask for a job
that they really want. Plenty of offers are not made because the interviewer
doubts the seriousness or commitment of the interviewer. Asking for the job
at least largely rules out that possibility.

Added to which, certain types of managers and directors (the ones who
would normally ask for the job at their own interviews for example) respond
positively when an interviewee looks them straight in the eye, pauses for
dramatic effect, and says earnestly,

"I want this job. Make me the offer and I'll take it here and now."

It's not really a question, it's more of a statement of intent, and lots of
decision-makers like to hear it.

As ever having other options - other interviews lined up, or even another
offer - is helpful and can add an extra bit of pressure to your push.

If you fancy using the ploy, it's also worth thinking about exactly what you
want to say. Decision-makers certainly like to hear that you like their
organisation (that you'd not be inclined to be this determined were it any
other employer) and that there are one or two compelling reasons for your
wanting to do a great job for them, so it's worth thinking about how you
might weave a few simple supporting points into your final coup de grace.

An employer or interviewer who is keen on you, who has satisfied they've

been through the proper processes, and who knows or believes that you
have other options, will sometimes give you the job offer there and then if
you ask firmly and professionally for the job. Which of course saves a lot of
time for all concerned, so if you feel like asking for the job - any job in fact -
the approach is not limited to sales and commercial positions - then go for it.

salary negotiation tips for job interviews

The best time to negotiate salary is after receiving a job offer, and
importantly before you accept a job offer - at the point when the employer
clearly wants you for the job, and is keen to have your acceptance of the job
offer. Your bargaining power in real terms, and psychologically, is far stronger
if you have (or can say that you have) at least one other job offer or option
(see the tips on negotiation). A strong stance at this stage is your best
chance to provide the recruiting manager the justification to pay you
something outside the employer's normal scale.

If there's a very big difference between what is being offered and what you
want, say more than 20%, you should raise it as an issue during the
interview for discussion later (rather than drop it as a bombshell suddenly
when the job offer is made). Do not attempt to resolve a salary issue before
receiving a job offer - there's no point. Defer the matter - say you'll need to
discuss salary in due course, but that there's obviously no need to do so until
and unless the company believes you are the right person for the job. "Let's
cross that bridge when we come to it," should be the approach.

A job and package comprise of many different things - unless the difference
between what's offered and needed is enormous (in which case the role is
simply not appropriate) both sides should look at all of the elements before
deciding whether salary is actually an issue or not.

The chances of renegotiating salary after accepting a new job, and certainly
after starting a new job, are remote - once you accept the offer you've
effectively made the contract, including salary, and thereafter you are
subject to the organization's policies, process and natural inertia.

A compromise agreement on salary, in the event that the employer cannot

initially employ you at the rate you need, is to agree (in writing) a
guaranteed raise, subject to completing a given period of service, say 3 or 6
months. In which case avoid the insertion of 'satisfactory' (describing the
period of service) as this can never actually be measured and therefore fails
to provide certainty that the raise will be given.

If you are recruiting a person who needs or demands more money or better
terms than you can offer, then deal with the matter properly before the
candidate accepts the job - changing pay or terms after this is very much
more difficult. If you encourage a person to accept pay and terms that are
genuinely lower than they deserve or need, by giving a vague assurance of a
review sometime in the future, you will raise expectations for something that
will be very difficult to deliver, and therefore storing up a big problem for the
future.

Additional tips and techniques relating to salary negotiations at job

interviews.

second interviews guidelines

At second interviews, unsuitable applicants should have been screened out
by this stage. For certain jobs a decision will be made to offer the job after
the second interviews; recruitments for senior positions may proceed to third
interviews.

Second interview questions should be deep and probing about the candidate
and the candidate's approach to work. The questions should concern detailed
and testing examples and scenarios specific to the particular job, asking how
the candidate would deal with them. This is to discover as reliably as
possible how the candidate would approach the job, and what type of person
they are - the interviewer needs to be sure they will get on with the
candidate you and that they will fit in well.

The interviewer should also probe the type of management that the
candidate responds to and doesn't, and how the candidate would work with
other people and departments, giving specific examples and scenarios.

Tests and practical exercises using actual work material or examples can be
used, which enable a practical assessment of the candidate's real style,
ability, knowledge and experience.

The candidate can be asked to prepare and give a short presentation about
themselves, or how they would approach the job or a particular challenge.
This could involve the use of certain equipment and materials, particularly if
such ability is to be required in the job.
The interviewer should also try to get to know more about the candidate as a
person - to be as sure as possible that this is the right person for the
situation; the interview approach should be probing and gaining practical
evidence, proof, of suitability.

A good second interview should establish as reliably as possible the

candidate's suitability and ability for the specific needs of the job, which
includes the work, relationships, aspirations, and personal background.

There is nothing wrong in the candidate asking the organisation prior to the
interview what to plan and prepare for in the second interview - interviewers
should regard this as a positive sign, and it may help the candidate to give
some clear information on what to expect and prepare for.

Certain senior jobs recruitments will involve a lunch or dinner so that the
interviewer and other senior managers or executives can see you in relaxed
mode. This is an excellent way to discover more about the personality of an
applicant.

Group selection (normally a half-day or even whole day) - see below - is a

very good alternative to conventional one-to-one interviews after first
interview stage. Group selection puts all the candidates together for a series
of activities and tasks, which can then be observed by a panel of
interviewers. Individuals can be asked to prepare and give presentations, and
various other exercises relevant to the job. One-to-one interviews follow later
in the day when the group has been reduced in numbers. Group selection
takes a lot longer than a conventional second interview and all candidates
should be notified as to the process and outline agenda.

interview follow-up letter or email by

interviewee
If you are particularly keen to be offered a job and wish to increase your
profile and chances of receiving a job offer after attending interview, you can
follow up an interview with a letter or email (and then a phone call) to
reinforce your commitment and qualities for the job. The sooner the better.

Often jobs are offered to the most passionate and determined applicants, so
this should be the feeling that your follow-up should try to convey, without
giving the impression of desperation or crawling.
You should seek to focus your follow-up letter or email on the key
performance aspects in the role that the interviewer believes are required for
the successful applicant.

This type of follow-up enables you to show that you have considered and
developed your thinking after the interview (a desirable attribute), and also
enables you to re-emphasise your claim to the opportunity, bringing your
name to the front of the interviewer's mind again. A good follow-up letter or
email also enables you to demonstrate that you are persistent, professional,
interested, possess relevant capabilities, recognise what the requirements
and priorities are, are keen, and can sell yourself in a determined manner,
that probably the other applicants will not do.

Interviewers also respond well to applicants who really like the company,
especially if your reasons coincide with the reasons that the interviewer likes
the company too, so it can help if your follow-up 'resonates' with the feelings
of the interviewer about what is required for the role.

From the interviewer's perspective - if you are an interviewer or decision-

maker who receives a good follow-up letter from an enthusiastic interviewee
- I recommend you give the applicant extra credit and consideration. They
are demonstrating many of the most relevant qualities that you are seeking.

sample follow-up letter from interviewee

after interview
Use and adapt this template example to create your own interview follow-up
letter or email.

Dear ........

You interviewed me on (date) for the (role) position.

I really want this job, so I'm taking the liberty of re-stating why I think you
should choose me:

(then list 3-5 short points which relate your skills, knowledge, experience,
achievements, character, attitude, to the results and effects they'll be
seeking from the person appointed. It is very important that these points
demonstrate that you have clearly understood and can deliver - specific
measurable things if possible - what they need for the role, for example:)
 • You need someone who can produce new profitable business - a
minimum (stated target level) a year. My track record proves I can do
this. I know already how I will do this for you. Moreover I'll help others
around me to do it too.
• You need someone who is very adaptable. Again my recent career
history shows how I'm able to adapt to fast-changing situations - to
identify and achieve new aims quickly. Put me anywhere - I'll adapt and
create a new plan, and achieve it.
• You need someone who can hit the ground running - I can do this - I
have commitments from personal customers who have promised me
business equating to (amount) by (when) should I take on this new
role.

You might have seen better qualified applicants, or people with more
relevant experience, but when it comes down to it, it's the person with the
most passion and determination who is able to make a real difference. I'd
urge you to give me the chance to prove I am that person.

Yours etc.

You could also follow up the letter/email with a phone call to ask what the
interviewer thinks, and if there's anything else that you can do or provide to
help the interviewer decide.

Persistence often pays off, especially in roles which require someone who
can get results by making things happen, which applies to most roles in
business and organisations these days, and certainly all management roles.

When you follow-up your own job interview with passion, determination and
expertise, the interviewer sees real evidence of how you can perform in the
job itself.

The interview follow-up letter, email and phone call is therefore a great
opportunity for you to demonstrate many of your attributes for real, in a way
that will raise your profile, re-state your credentials and understanding of the
role's requirements, and thereby create a clear separation between you and
the other job candidates.